I’m wondering how their recommended “systematic” insecticide that is ‘absorbed by the roots’ is suppose to kill Lepidoptera caterpillars? Some sort of BT?

I’ve never used chemicals to get rid of these things, but I’ve never had a bad infestation either. Keeping susceptible trees watered may also be a good preventative method. The bugs have a tendency to attack weakened trees.

I have picked off the bags for my form of ‘control’. If you see early instar caterpillars, I might spray them with some soapy water in a garden sprayer. That will kill a lot of the small stuff without resorting to more permanent chemicals.

i have 10ft pine trees that were very healthy. there is thousands of bags on them. not practical to pick off bags lol. it snuck on me, i saw one of them dieing and noticed bags, I had 7 trees and 5 shrubs infected. did research and found out what they were. I just went to lowes and bought some sevin that you hook to a hose. i talked to some places and they all told me something differant. I just did the easiest thing I could find before major damage was done

i have 10ft pine trees that were very healthy. there is thousands of bags on them. not practical to pick off bags lol. it snuck on me, i saw one of them dieing and noticed bags, I had 7 trees and 5 shrubs infected. did research and found out what they were. I just went to lowes and bought some sevin that you hook to a hose. i talked to some places and they all told me something differant. I just did the easiest thing I could find before major damage was done

Sevin is a good bee killer

BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

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"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may remember,involve me and I'll understand" Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways." John F. KennedyFranklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

a "systemic" poison is one that the tree absorbs and it will go into the leaves (the tree's system), and when the little demonic critter starts nibbling, it will die.

I'm not a big fan of systemics, but if it is necessary to save a tree, I'd do it.

Spruce trees will often become infested with a scale that will secrete waste like an aphid that bees will collect, I have no idea what a systemic would do with that. I think I'd spray 7 versus risk that.

No, no, and noooooooooooo! Whenever you use 7 that is akin to massive honeybee genocide!!! ugh!!!!! No matter how careful you are there is no such thing as a completely still day. That stuff will drift in the breeze somewhere and if it's not honeybees you are killing you are killing ladybugs, tons of beneficial insects, all the good insects. What makes 7 so brutal is that it acts like a colony eliminator. The insect mistakes it for yummy pollen and carries it out to the hive. That is why they use 7 to kill the yellowjackets and ants.

If you must use an insecticide use insecticidal soap or pyrethrins because it kills on contact as opposed to an actual hive destroyer. If you have to risk killing a honeybee, it's better to accidentally kill the ones in the direct vicinity as opposed to murdering an entire hive. All it takes is a few stray bees carrying particles of 7 to the hive, grooming themselves and feeding the larvae and you'll bee saying bye-bye! Eventually the accumulation of Sevin will affect the hives. Do a countdown on how many hives you have to keep replacing and start doing the math. 7 is scary stuff, folks.

The company that produces this horrible chemical has also permanently altered very important Wikipedia links warning about the dangers of 7. They have also bought out competitors who had far more benign products and ran their competitors out of business as well. They have permanently banned environmental agencies from protesting the production of this chemical too. I've already done tons of research on what this corporation has done and it's pretty darn scary! They are now selling bags of this poison as a lawn treatment as well. 7 is really bad for aquatic life and is highly toxic to certain fish species like trout, etc. I can just imagine all of this leaking into the gutter drains of suburbia where I live at. I saw racks upon racks of this lawn treatment too. Nasty stuff....